Does your university as a body provide mentoring/counselling/peer support programs to support students, staff, faculty from underrepresented groups?
Student Success Centre at CUD
Personal Counseling
Creating and maintaining a healthy balance between your academics and personal life can be a stressful experience. Our Student Counselor is here to guide you through this process and help you overcome challenges, find clarity, build resilience, and reach your goals. She has professional experience and training and is committed to a strengths-based, solution-focused, and multicultural approach to allow you to fully benefit from your university experience and become the best version of yourself.
Common issues university students face include stress, anxiety, time-management, motivation, self-esteem, life transitions, and identity development. With personal counselling, you are given a safe and nonjudgmental environment to discuss, understand, and effectively handle these issues, and any others. While counselling is offered, referrals are provided if further or long-term services are needed. All sessions are strictly confidential.
Academic Accommodations/Accessibility Services
At Canadian University Dubai, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment for students of determination and students with disabilities. If you have a documented physical disability, psychological condition, learning difficulty, chronic illness, or other barrier to your learning, you are eligible for academic accommodations.
We work closely and with absolute confidentiality with students to accommodate their individual needs and ensure they have equal opportunity to reach their maximum potential. Academic accommodations include exam scheduling and time limit extensions, note-taking support, learning resources, and a distraction-reduced environment. These are handled on a case-by-case basis that takes into account the student’s unique needs and the course or programmes learning objectives.
Wings for Life Ambassador Delivers Inspirational Talk to CUD Students
Students at Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have received an inspirational talk from paralyzed athlete, Mr. Chris Khoury, about the importance of positivity and inner strength in day-to-day life.
Khoury, who was paralyzed from the chest down following a motocross accident in 2009, visited CUD in his capacity as an ambassador for the Wing for Life campaign, a non-profit research foundation that aims to find a cure for spinal cord-related disabilities.
Speaking about his life-changing accident, Khoury said that he made a conscious decision early on to adopt a positive attitude and seize every opportunity that came his way.
Student Counselling
During Covid-19 pandemic, Canadian University Dubai, are thinking heavily about our responsibility as an educator. We are thinking about the impact on our students and members near and far and on our role to help navigate and rise above this impact. We echo His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s sentiments when he says, “Education Never Stops”, and we are compelled to look for ways to be flexible and accessible in our part to encourage the pursuit of higher education. Together, we can continue to inspire minds and transform lives.
We are offering counselling services online or over the telephone for students who are experiencing anxiety, fear, or depression during this time. We have connected with travelling students to provide reassurance and guidance where we can. For students with disabilities, we have provided accessible accommodations as they adapt to online learning, and we have delivered self-care packages, containing food items and sanitation products, to all students in dorms.
Leading Female Entrepreneur shares secrets for success with CUD students
March 18th, 2019: Helen Al Uzaizi, CEO of BizWorld UAE and founder of the Entrepreneurship Education Platform for the MENA region, has spoken of her career achievements and how determination has played a large part in her success, in presentation to business students at Canadian University Dubai.
The event was organised by Dr. Imen Tebourbi, Associate Professor and Head of Undergraduate Programs in the Faculty of Management, as part of the FOM Speaker Series.
BizWorld aims to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit, developing students’ aptitude for teamwork, leadership and critical and creative thinking along with strengthening real world knowledge about entrepreneurship, business and financial responsibility; all the tools needed to flourish in the 21st Century.
With over fifteen years’ experience in the corporate and startup worlds, Helen has directed her passion towards instilling the entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation of leaders.
Helen described how she got involved with athletics, having had no sporting inclinations during her school or college years. She drew comparisons with the mindset required to be a successful entrepreneur and those required to be successful in sport.
She explained how she started taking interest in personal fitness, more out of vanity and looking good, than seeking a more active life.
However, she caught the fitness bug which she pursued with passion, one of the traits of a successful entrepreneur. In 2012 as a working mother she completed her first marathon and to date has completed three marathons, four Ironman events and over twenty triathlons and other road events.
Helen believes that anything is possible and quoted Teddy Roosevelt as saying “believe you can and you’re half way there.”
She advised her audience that once they developed an idea, they should pursue it with determination and let nothing get in the way, overcoming obstacles one by one as they appeared.
She finished her presentation by quoting Ken Venturi, an American professional golfer and broadcaster who said “I don’t believe you have to be better than anyone else. I believe that you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.”
The presentation ended with a lively question and answer session.
CUD Hosts 2nd TEDx Conference on Behalf of Al Wasl Women
December 8th, 2018, CUD Red Theatre: Over eighty delegates attended the 2nd edition of TEDx AlWasl Women under the theme “what if”?
TEDxAlWaslWomen is a non-profit independently organized event and an integral part of the global TEDWomen Community. It consists of a group of volunteers dedicated to helping society evolve to become more compassionate.
There were five main speakers at the event:
Maya Hojeij, a senior bulletin editor and business news journalist on “Dubai TV.” She is also a manager and instructor of Journalism at American University Dubai.
Danielle Wilson Naqvi, founder of The “ZB Foundation,” whose aim is to pioneer the use of New Born Screening to target the uncharted medical area of rare metabolic diseases.
Saja Kamal, a Saudi female footballer, “Driven TV” show presenter and twice Guinness World Record holder, who is carrying the torch for Arab females across the world by challenging preconceptions of what is and isn’t acceptable and achievable in sport.
Katharine Budd, co-founder of “Now Money,” a platform aimed at enabling access to banking services for low income
migrants in the Middle East, through the use of mobile banking technology. Now Money had raised $2.3 million over two rounds of funding.
Andreea Zoia, a presenter, inspirational speaker and confidence coach who works with executives and employees of multi-national corporations to improve their confidence and communication skills.
There were two sessions, one in the morning followed after lunch where delegates could network, with one in the afternoon.
CUD is proud to be host to the conference for the second year running and looks forward to many more successful joint events with AlWasl Women in the future.
CUD Professors Engage in UAE Mentoring Initiative
As part of CUD’s community engagement , we have teamed up with the LINK Organization. The LINK,’ is a non-profit UAE initiative providing an active community platform where women from different ages and backgrounds can find support to advance professionally and to share workplace challenges,
After hosting the Induction Session, CUD has started its sixth cohort of the Programme. Professors from the University including Ms. Orsi, Dr. Louise, Ms. Dima and Dr. Fran have offered their services as Mentors and are then matched up through the LINK organization who then allocates them to Mentees according to their needs.
The LINK aims to empower women through learning and developmental initiatives, nurturing female talent and strengthening their leadership capacity. Ultimately, the LINK’s vision is to encourage and support women in different stages of their lives and careers.
In the latest arrangement, Shirin Mehri has teamed up with Dr. Franziska Apprich who will act as her Business Mentor. Previous Mentees have included Florelle Cloarec with Ms. Orsi,
After successfully completing projects in educations in Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Tanzania and the United States, Shirin is looking to leave her mark in the Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystem in the UAE. Since completing her MSc in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College, she has immersed herself in the startup and entrepreneurial world of Dubai, working for some of the region’s fastest growing enterprises.
As Operations Manager at BizWorld UAE, she is responsible for overseeing and implementing workshops that aim to instill the entrepreneurial spirit in children in the UAE between the ages of 7 and 15 years.
Commenting on her involvement in the Mentorship programme Shirin stated that with the ever changing educational environment we are experiencing today, she aims to refine her project management skills and work closely with Dr. Fran on a project focusing on Educational Board Games that will engage female students in understanding entrepreneurship both in and out of the classroom.
Dr. Fran and Shirin will be working on an entrepreneurship board game called ‘The Entrepreneuse.’
The game will show the different steps in creating a new company from the licensing process through to becoming profitable (in an amusing way).The game will show how you need team spirit, empathy and kindness to succeed in business and building a successful team and company. Grades and degrees are only part of the game…and a bad grade can be compensated and balanced out with kindness points.
The initiative will be supported by the recently formed Business Incubator initiative in CUD, in cooperation with Ryerson University headed by Dr. Fran, Head of Learning Zones and Incubators
Dr. Fran stressed that supporting young women has always been close to her heart. She has published books on the subject and with the support of Communications students she has created the ‘she for she campaign.’
“I want to inspire Shirin and support her to reach her creative and entrepreneurial potential and become a strong and independent woman.”
Ms. Orsi Urban who brought the LINK Mentoring Initiative to the University said it was important that young women should have the opportunity to learn from female mentors in a structured, safe, encouraging and professional relationship.
CUD students benefit from prestigious leadership program
September 11th, 2018:Two students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have embarked on the exclusive Women@Dior Mentorship Program, a coveted professional development opportunity that aims to boost the skills of talented young women to prepare them for a career in creative leadership.
The selection of Noura Itani and Leen Sharif among 200 students from ten international cities reflects the growing prominence of Dubai on the global creative industries landscape. This rising stature will receive a further boost with the upcoming launch of CUD’s suite of creative degree programs, developed and delivered in partnership with the world-renowned Faculty of Communication & Design at Ryerson University, Canada.
Alongside counterparts from cities including London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong, the two CUD students have benefited from one-on-one career advice, guidance and mentoring from a dedicated Christian Dior employee, as well as enjoying a study visit to Dior’s global headquarters in Paris.
Speaking about her experience, Noura said, “The Women@Dior Mentorship Program is more than just a typical mentoring scheme, it’s a fully-rounded personal and career development opportunity. It genuinely seeks to help young women, who have the talent and skills to become leaders in today’s world, to actually achieve their ambition and to unlock their full potential.
“The trip to Paris was an amazing experience and a great learning opportunity; we even met with renowned designer Maria Grazia Chiuri who shared her insights and inspirations. The whole initiative has made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I have been consciously working to improve with the help of my mentor. I know that I have been able to grow as a person and a young professional too.”
An announcement earlier this year from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, signalled the launch of a new Creative Industries Contributions Index.
Brian Banford, Chief Advancement Officer at CUD, commented, “This recognition at the highest level shows that the creative sector is one of high economic return in the UAE, presenting outstanding opportunities for young professionals entering the industry in both production and executive roles.
“Through initiatives such as Women@Dior and academic programs like those launching at CUD, the foundations are being laid to feed all important talent into this fast growing, high-value industry.”
CUD Student Recognized In Top 2 | Tourism TechGen Hackathon | Dubai Ministry of Economy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 5th, 2022: CUD’s Mechatronics Engineering student, Lujain Ihsan Alsamhouri, won 2nd place at the “Tourism TechGen Hackathon” finale which took place at Zayed University in Dubai, under the patronage of H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Cabinet Member and United Arab Emirates Minister of Economy: Building Our Future Economy Based on Knowledge and Innovation.
“It has been an inspiring and exciting journey from the very beginning. Working with students from various disciplines enriches creativity and brings completely new elements to the table. This is what happened at the Tourism TeckGen Hackathon. We had participants from management, engineering, and environmental sciences that were elected among hundreds of other applicants.” Dr. Samar Noaman, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management
The Institutional Lead of the Hackathon Initiative was Prof. Naveed Yasin, CUD Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of Entrepreneurship and the Creative Industries; and the advisory board comprised of CUD’s Faculty of Management: Dr. Sayed Gilani, Dr. Farooq Haq, and Dr. Samar Noaman. Six hundred students entered the competition and went through a rigorous competition entry process of assessment, a exam and quizzes – of which the top thirty-one students were selected to progress to the competition. In preparation of the competition, the thirty-one students from several UAE universities attended an introduction workshop and were placed into seven teams. Students received a briefing of how to sustainably improve the tourism industry in the United Arab Emirates, through the application of technology solutions – focusing on eco-tourism, a fundamental aspect of the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals.
CUD’s Engineering student, Lujain, formed part of a group of students who initiated a mobile application driven to offer key features to enrich the eco-tourism sector of the UAE. The app provides a unique experience for each eco-tourist, by employing artificial intelligence features and non-fungible token (NFT), a unique digital asset recorded in a blockchain to enhance app security and reduce fraud. The NFT certifies authenticity and ownership.
“The application of technological benefits to the eco-tourism industry of the UAE provides an abundance of technological solutions – tailored to impeccable solutions to benefit our country.” Lujain Ihsan Alsamhouri, CUD Student, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – Mechatronics
Two days of training followed which included seminars and presentations around topics of entrepreneurship, research of the existing tourism industry in UAE, and coaching sessions. The seminars were divided between notable presenters on topics of entrepreneurship and brainstorming sessions for the competition projects – followed by several team building activities between the students. The prep was underway to inspire and encourage the creativity, abilities and skills from talented students.
“Engineering skills, paired with the application technology, produces abilities suited to business models moulded to the concepts applicable to develop business. The culmination of the technological and engineering solutions are geared towards business solutions.” Dr. Tamer Mohamed, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Applied Sciences and Technology
Seven teams pitched the eco-tourism projects – Lujain pitched the group project to H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, and associates, illustrating the key features of the Sustainable Development Goals and solutions showcasing applied technology to improve the eco-tourism industry of the UAE. The competition connected CUD’s student to the distinguished dignitaries within the booming tourism industry of the UAE.
“CUD is really proud of Lujain and her level of confidence while pitching to H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy. This is a real example of how top-notch technologies, such as artificial intelligence, elevate the level of the user experience and business model sustainability.” Dr. Tamer Mohamed, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, Applied Sciences and Technology
“The pitch day was adrenaline-filled and this excitement remained till the awarding day. This is when the journey was crowned with the trophy and great feelings of content. It has been a remarkable experience on all levels.” Dr. Samar Noaman, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management
The awards ceremony took place on December 5th, 2022 – Lujain was honoured with 2nd place for her contribution to the project to contribute towards eco-conscious sustainable development goals within the tourism industry of the UAE.
“The competition was a fantastic experience of opportunities for me to embark on a journey with a group of students from other UAE universities. The mentorship from Dr. Tamer and Dr. Samar has been profound in the success of our group. We are very proud to have pitched to H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, and to have taken a trophy home.” Lujain Ihsan Alsamhouri, CUD Student, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – Mechatronics
FOM hosts guest speaker on HRM and creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion
Tuesday, November 23, 2021: Continuing with our guest speaker sessions, the Faculty of Management (FOM) at Canadian University Dubai (CUD) recently welcomed Saroj V. Pathak, Head of Customer Support Middle East and Turkey at HP Inc. and Chairperson of the Equity workstream for Global Customer Support (CS) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), to our City Walk Campus on November 11, 2021.
Mr. Saroj recently moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates with over 24 years of diverse industry and global leadership experience in the Supply Chain and Customer Services domain.
During his talk on the role of human resources management (HRM) in creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, students learned about the importance of diversity in today’s workplace environment, how to move from promoting diversity to practicing inclusion, policies and processes for DE&I, current challenges in DE&I as well as how human resources (HR)roles revolve around employee well-being, growth, and inclusion.
Echoing his belief in continuous learning, Mr. Saroj said: “Pursuing graduate studies in HRM has the potential to enhance a candidate’s exposure and increase their chances of finding employment and growth in the competitive labor market.”
The HRM program at CUD develops student skills in strategic staffing, compensation and benefits, industrial relations, performance management, as well as training and development to help graduates shine in one of the fastest developing disciplines of the twenty-first century.
Our MBA in HRM specifically provides comprehensive insights into the application and orientation of business administration concepts in human capital management, enabling students to develop line management competence while addressing challenges in ethics, leadership and motivation, in a competitive business context.
Speaking to CUD’s commitment to our students, Dr. Rima M Bizri, Associate Professor, Canadian University Dubai added: “We believe in providing our students with a dynamic learning environment, encouraging guest speakers to visit our campus to share their alternative perspectives of thinking. By leading immersive discussions, we are able to generate important conversations in a variety of topic areas such as HRM and the future of human capital management.”
These unique learning opportunities at CUD provide our students with important industry insights to assist them in gaining a head-start in the UAE’s growing knowledge economy upon graduation.
Dubai Education Builds on Unique Talents of Students with Special Needs
The newly launch Potential Adaptive Child Education (PACE) Centre has quickly established itself as an alternative to traditional Special Education Needs (SEN) provision as it sets out to celebrate and nurture the unique talents of every student in its care.
The Centre, located in Umm Suqeim, is part of the Dubai Education portfolio that also includes Canadian University Dubai (CUD). Set in a colorfully engaging physical environment, students are challenged to learn to comfortably transition between academic classes and their special classes, which might include art, music, play therapy, computer science, and physical education, so that staff can tap into and nurture their individual skills and abilities.
Director Dr. Jaclyn Fowler reveals, “Our mission is to serve young people with special needs by creating opportunities for all our students to live their fullest, most joyous lives. We do this by operating within a systems approach where, for example, therapy and learning are combined in a seamless whole, not in isolation one from the other, so that therapy and learning inform and enhance one another.”
The Centre bring together teachers, therapists, learning support professionals, parents, and the wider community to play a collective role in creating a program that provides safe and outward-looking circles of care and life opportunities for students.
Launched at the start of the 2016-17 academic year, the Centre is characterized by its small, intimate setting, and is already cultivating the talents of special needs students who have demonstrated uniquely outstanding flair in disciplines such as music, sport, languages and numerical reasoning.
While relatively new to the Dubai SEN community, the Centre is making its mark by pursuing partnerships that aim to provide a pathway for students to explore their future educational opportunities and develop a map for emerging life choices.
Dr. Fowler says, “The philosophy of PACE is characterized by a sense of service. This service is focused not only on our own SEN community but also on the greater Dubai SEN community. We believe that we make the world a more open and accepting place for our own students when we are open enough to engage in the wider community.”
Sharing the CUD philosophy of inspiring minds, transforming lives, the ultimate goal of the PACE Centre is to ensure that each student receives an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that is based on their unique abilities and adapted to meet their varying needs. As Dr. Fowler concludes, “Here at PACE, we envision a time when every child in the UAE receives a customized learning program that leads to a full and happy life.”
Canadian University Dubai Chancellor discusses actions for inclusion
Following the successful gala event, ‘Music is our Voice’, which brought together people of determination and the local school community in a spectacular celebration of music, Canadian University Dubai (CUD) Chancellor, Mr. Buti Saeed Al Ghandi, has spoken to Edarabia about the institution’s actions towards promoting inclusion.
Why did CUD organize a music gala for people of determination? Would this be a yearly event?
The event was organized as part of the University’s ongoing endeavors to promote inclusion, understanding and coexistence, in the spirit of the UAE Year of Tolerance. Since 2017 we have seen the Canadian University Dubai EnSEmble grow and flourish into an extraordinary realization of individual and collective talent. We wanted to share that talent with our local community to mark Autism Awareness month.
We know from our work with people of determination that awareness and inclusion across wider society remain among the biggest challenges they face in everyday life. Canadian University Dubai wanted to bring people together in an inclusive celebration of music to help further advance the conversation about autism in the UAE; to change the discourse into concrete action and progress across every aspect of society – from education and employment to cultural and social interactions. The gala was also hosted as a fundraising event, to help support therapy, care and community initiatives for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. We have been delighted by the response and similar future events.
Studies suggest that sports are associated not only with social inclusion, but also with physical wellbeing and the enhancement of self-esteem. Does music have the same effect?
Absolutely, music is by definition inclusive, without boundaries, music does not discriminate against anyone. Numerous studies have shown that the effect of music on confidence levels and self-esteem is significant. For instance, music has helped young people in conflict areas to cope with stress. In other contexts, music has given young refugees a voice allowing them to be active participants in society. Music has had, over the history of mankind, an incredible unifying and healing power.
How does CUD cater to students of determination?
Canadian University Dubai was among the first universities in the UAE to welcome students with special educational needs, and has supported more than 100 determined students facing a range of personal challenges, from visual impairment to autism.
The University has a number of formal support structures in place, such as scholarships for individuals with special needs, tutoring programs that offer one-on-one academic support, and a dedicated student counselor to offer pastoral care throughout the students’ studies. However, the essence of our approach is to tailor our support to the specific needs of each individual and to work with families to achieve this, not only from the practical perspective of delivering an education, but also to ensure that we support their social, cognitive and emotional development to achieve success.
Are schools equipped to meet the needs of gifted students in the regular education (inclusion) classroom?
Canadian University Dubai is able to provide a learning environment that meets the needs of students of all backgrounds. This means creating inclusive classrooms and providing the supplementary support measures to those students with special education needs, from additional academic tutoring or personal counseling, to extracurricular activities that provide an outlet for personal creative expression.
How does CUD equip its students with the right skills to enter the workforce? Are any special measures taken to prepare students of determination for the same?
All of our academic programs are industry-driven and are designed to develop the employability of our students. As market needs are constantly evolving, we regularly talk to our advisory boards, alumni and employers of our graduates to gauge if our courses match their specific current and future needs.
What we’ve learnt from this is that employers are increasingly looking for qualities and skills that transcend typical sector boundaries. Competencies such as teamwork, leadership, reasoning, responsiveness and ethics are the skills that will help the future workforce to navigate the rapid pace of change. These are the skills that students develop through their practical work, which includes course-related internships, but also through special initiatives like the Canadian University Dubai EnSEmble.
See the published article here:
https://www.edarabia.com/employers-looking-skills-transcend-typical-sector-boundaries
UAE Philharmonic Orchestra & Dubai Ensenble Choir for Determined Ones Holds Concert at Canadian University Dubai
November 25th, 2017, Dubai, U.A.E: The Canadian University Dubai hosted the U.A.E Philharmonic Orchestra and Dubai Ensenble – The U.A.E’s first choir for determined children comprised of 24 members. The concert was the choir’s first appearance accompanied by the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra and was staged to provide determined children with the opportunity to showcase their talents, teach them about teamwork and perseverance as well as allowing those with a special talent to learn about vocal training, musical movement as well as introduce them to the beauty of classical music.
The evening saw the U.A.E Philharmonic Orchestra led by Ms. Aveline Bouqet and The Ensenble Choir led by Rivaan Mager join musical talent and passion in an unparalleled performance. The Choir comprised of students with special needs from several special education centers from across the U.A.E sang to an audience of over 150 including parents, teachers, students, friends, and family. The Orchestra and Choir showcased Bethhoven’s Symphony No 5, as well as Gershwin and other notable classical musicians and both the Orchestra and Choir were rewarded with several standing ovations throughout the evening for their incredible performances.
CUD Students Take on Ericsson Innovation Challenge
December 14th, 2015: Two groups of students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) are working on the development of unique initiatives aimed at transforming city life, as part of this year’s Ericsson Innovation Awards.
Architecture students Craig Muyambo, Faisal UK, Suleiman Gerawa, and Omar Sherif are developing a platform that will help meet the infrastructure requirements of future cities. Known as Architecture Revival Kit (ARK), the platform will connect architecture students with professionals, to share their projects, receive feedback on their work, and build their understanding of the needs for future city life.
Meanwhile, the multidisciplinary team of Master exchange student Nérimel Bessa, Telecommunications Engineering student Ali Ahmad, and Advertising student Omar Zain Faruki, is working on the development of an application that will support city residents with disabilities and special needs to navigate their daily lives. Known as ABLE, the app will combine information on community services, facilities and transportation to support the engagement of disabled people in city life.
The Ericsson Innovation Awards is a global competition, exclusively for students, offering unrivaled career development opportunities as well as cash prizes for the ultimate winners. The two CUD teams are now in the process of developing the prototype of their innovations and gathering support for their entries, which will be subject to a public vote to reach the next stage of the contest.
To discover more about ABLE and to vote for the application, visit http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/events/ericsson-innovation-awards/competition/#/submission/18306
Music is our Voice
April being the international month of Autism Awareness, Canadian University Dubai is taking the opportunity to play its part in the awareness-raising efforts of this important global campaign.
Having a very special group of talented musicians, we feel it is only fair to give back and share the joy that our choir brings; Canadian University Dubai presents ‘Music is Our Voice’, a concert highlighting the musical talents of people of determination.
We are proud to present this event in the amazing Dubai Opera on Wednesday April 17, where we can share this extraordinary night with parents, guests and fans, while giving these superstars the prestigious stage they deserve.
$7,000 Boost for CUD Students’ Sign Language App
The students behind the new Emirati sign-language app, Efhamni, have received a major boost in their plan to support the UAE deaf community, with a $7,000 award to scale their social enterprise from the Coca-Cola Foundation and INJAZ Al-Arab. The award follows the recent announcement of winners in the Ripples of Happiness university competition, a community initiative under which the innovation was developed.
The team of students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) was the only group to represent the UAE in the region-wide initiative, and secured second place overall in the six-week program, attracting funding equivalent to more than AED 25,000 to help further develop and mainstream their app.
The technology was created in association with the UAE Deaf Association and the Kalimati Speech and Communication Center. It specifically aims to support Emiratization among hearing impaired citizens, helping them to access better education and employment opportunities by teaching them, their family, friends and colleagues, how to communicate effectively through Emirati sign language.
The app was unveiled to over 100 stakeholders at a recent public launch event. Speaking at the event, member of the Efhamni project management team, Craig Muyambo, said, “Our aim is to contribute to the UAE in two ways: by preserving its history through the Emirati language, heritage and dialect, and by building its future by engaging all sectors of society in a single community, connected by a common language.”
The financial boost comes as a result of the interest and impact the team generated for the app during the Ripples of Happiness competition. Sulaf Saleh Al Zu’bi, CEO of INJAZ UAE, said, “It was an inspiring journey giving students the opportunity to create and discover their talents applied in this program and remarkable software application. The Efhamni app can touch many hearts, helping engage people with hearing disabilities more easily, and making the use of sign language for the community around them more mainstream.”
Facilitated by Mr. Mohsin Harris of INJAZ UAE, the team received intensive mentoring support from two volunteers from the business community. Ms. Sveccha Kumar and Mr. Youshey Zakiuddin brought their experience of corporate social responsibility initiatives at telecoms firm, du, to help the students to identify and address a distinct community need.
The team also benefitted from the ongoing support of CUD Assistant Professor, Jeanette Teh, who said, “I am extremely proud of how much the students have accomplished in a short amount of time and how hard they have worked. Through this project, they have learned the importance of teamwork, planning, research, communication, and even diplomacy, all of which will help them in their future careers. It has been an incredible journey, full of challenging lessons, not just for the students, but also for us the mentors.
“I would like to thank INJAZ Al Arab and Coca-Cola Foundation for organizing this wonderful competition, which has taught our students so much about launching a socially responsible business, but perhaps, more importantly, that they can make a difference.”
The team has already held discussions with the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research around how the app can help in promoting access to education among the deaf community. Nérimel Bessa, another member of the Efhamni project management team said, “We are excited to embark upon this social enterprise and with the award from the Coca-Cola Foundation and INJAZ Al Arab, we can start to empower the deaf community by employing members to support in the ongoing development of the app.”
In addition to the community benefits that the app is expected to generate, the process has also been a rewarding experience for the entire team involved, and for the student behind the technology itself, engineering major, Omar Sharif Zakaria, it has opened the door to an exciting new project.
Omar said, “Based on my work on Efhamni I have been approached by one of Dubai’s leading real estate developers to work on the creation of an app that will give them a new platform to engage with their customers.”
Omar plans to take on the new project, while continuing to offer his free time to support the continual development of Efhamni. As for the enterprise itself, Nérimel concluded, “We know that we will need a lot more support along the way – both technically and financially – but this award has given us a great platform to move forward with our aim to make Emirati sign-language a mainstream form of communication for citizens and residents of the UAE, and also to provide a gateway for visitors to the country to learn the Arabic language.”
Students Join Unhcr Campaign to Raise Awareness of Regional Refugee Crisis
October 30th, 2014: Students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have taken part in a regional conference organized by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHRC) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Samuel Ajayi and Omar Zain were among a delegation of students who attended the first regional gathering dedicated to the protection of refugee children and adolescents. The conference brought together leaders, policy makers, donors and high profile individuals to raise awareness of the ongoing crisis and consider how different stakeholder groups can help.
Among the international dignitaries that came together to discuss the situation were Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan; the UN Special Envoy on Global Education, Right Honorable Gordon Brown; and the UN Youth Envoy, Ahmed Alhendawi.
One of the main objectives of the event was to expose young people in the region to the issues and challenges of child and adolescent displacement and highlight it as a concern for today’s youth. Samuel and Omar attended the conference as student delegates, to increase their own awareness of the situation and carry the message back to the wider youth community.
Samuel said, “I was genuinely shocked to hear that 2.4 million young people have been displaced in the region – a number that could be the population of a country in itself. We also learnt about the psychological impact that displacement has on these individuals and how emotional support is as important as financial aid.”
A Public Relations student and member of the CUD Student Council, Samuel is keen to communicate and raise awareness of the issue among the wider student body.
“Young people can help by providing a peer support network that focusses on the emotional wellbeing of refugee children and adolescents. This kind of intervention is very important to mitigate any negative actions that the trauma of displacement might bring about among the victims of such circumstances” he concluded.